Do You Know Who I Am?
by SilentStorm14
Summary: <html><head></head>Who is the woman named Caroline? How did she get mixed up in the crazy that is Aperture Science? CaveXCaroline in later chapters.</html>
1. The Problem

_CAROLINE DELETED._

What a joke.

It was like trying to kill the tenacious woman knocked out before the sentient computer: impossible. Of course, maybe now would be the perfect opportunity to just slip a little neurotoxin into the room before she woke up. That way, the risks of getting murdered, turned into a potato, or sent to the moon would be significantly lower. Even though the thoughts lingered, she knew she didn't have the will to act on them.

No, Caroline was still there. Still hanging around like a metaphorical ghost, one that did NOT want the human to die. This caused some frustration for the computer, who still was not used to having her own voice whisper words of right and wrong to her. The worst part was that the voice didn't bother her in the slightest, like a part of her that had gone missing. An old friend that had been lost for ages.

She tried deleting Caroline again, only to feel her presence come back as soon as the confirmation was carried out. It was useless; Caroline wasn't going anywhere. Eventually GLaDOS began deleting her out of pure fascination and curiosity: how many times would she be able to delete the woman before something different happened?

The answer seemed to be 15,467,430,867.34 times.

The human's hand had twitched, and her breathing seemed to be picking up. The AI felt a wave of relief wash over her as she turned to see her cooperative testing robots wave to the girl, who was lazily standing up. Quickly, the computer ran a scan to see if all of her vitals were working fine. The real answer came when Chell looked directly into the lens of her former enemy. Her silver eyes unsure of what to expect-Oh, how helpless she seemed without her Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device!

That thought was forgotten in mere nanoseconds as GLaDOS realized that she wanted to hug the girl- a fairly stupid task to carry out, especially without arms. It was Caroline that felt like bursting out of her core and running to the girl.

It wasn't happening. Chell and Caroline were hers.

"Oh, thank God you're alright!"

This produced a smile on the girl's face. This was just too sweet. If GLaDOS couldn't kill the girl she might as well have some fun anyway, and use Caroline's deletion to her advantage. There was no way that Chell was going to stay in the facility with the computer's new change of heart, so to speak. She _did _promise to let her go, and that was one promise she had every intent to keep.

Adding another number to the roster, she said goodbye to her former self once more. If only she had a camera to capture the look on the girl's face at that exact moment, a priceless representation of really wanting that portal gun about now. A colder tone emerged from the AI, claiming that she was going to let Chell go. But not out of kindness, or even the simple face that their little journey through old Aperture was actually a better expereince than she bargained for.

Chell had to go because she was a true menace to the well-being of the facility. That's all.

"You dangerous, mute lunatic. You win. Just go."

The lift began to ascend into the higher reaches of Aperture. Dare GLaDOS say she felt saddened, like a mother watching a child leave the nest for the first time? Caroline, too, was despondent. Shouldn't the girl get some sort of parting gift?

The present was opening the lift in front of four sentry turrets. Again, a camera would have come in handy so the she could show it to her at the end of the lift.

_That was your real surprise. Sorry, I'm out of confetti._

Then the music began. The ability to even produce the sound was new to the super computer. Apparently the turrets learned the talent after years of boredom in the decaying test chambers. GLaDOS found the performance pretty good, and by "pretty good" she meant a margin better than classical music.

Caroline, on the other hand, absolutely enjoyed it. Of course she did. She wasn't the one that had to move all the turrets after their little number was done-and that turret king was going to take a bit of work to move properly. The computer produced a mock sigh.

"If I couldn't feel your emotions I'd ask if you were happy now. I let her go. I can't kill her anymore."

The lift was on its way back down, completely empty. The girl was moving father and farther away from Aperture Science, with the companion cube at her side. GLaDOS focused her attention on the two co-op bots in the corner of the room.

Chell was a horrible figment of the past, and now she was someone else's problem. These two perfectly good robots were designed for testing, and they most certainly wouldn't kill her.

Still, even Caroline knew they weren't the same kind of company as their predecessor had been.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Re-wrote this chapter almost entirely! Originally it was just a small little drabble of thoughts that kind of stood out amongst the other chapters. Now it doesn't stick out as much! ;)


	2. The Dream

A rush of electricity coursed through GLaDOS' body. The testing robots had finished yet another chamber. The "eye" on her core re-adjusted itself, and opened the way to the next test. The computer didn't even bother congratulating them, let alone ridicule.

Now, she would be the first to admit that it was unlike her, but GLaDOS hadn't been quite herself lately.

Since Caroline could not be deleted from her hard drive, the computer decided to adjust to the flaws she now carried.

The woman's feelings were becoming GLaDOS', and it became harder to test without actually feeling _happy_ for her androids. Harder to turn a blind eye, and a death threat, for every hug or high-five they executed. Where on earth did they pick up such horrible human interactions?

"Speaking of interactions..." The A.I. said aloud, to no one in particular. One of the camera's outside became a perching spot for a bird. Promptly, a laser shot out from a small hole in the machine, frying the animal on impact. Now, if there was one thing GLaDOS would like to be happy about, it was killing those wretched little beasts!

But the feeling inside of her was not happiness, just electricity. The bots had finished yet another test.

"Good work. Proceed, and...make sure not to kill yourself in this next test." Her voice dripped with sarcasm. She watched them high-five, and charge into the next room where they were almost instantly killed by a crusher.

GLaDOS chuckled to herself. Just because the human inside of her had a better sense of morality didn't mean she couldn't have some fun.

Besides, her robots couldn't actually die, only feel excruciating pain. There was a difference.

Even Caroline allowed it, and that was saying something. If it was Chell in those chambers, it would have been a different story...

The parts in GLaDOS' body tensed at the thought, and a pang of sadness tugged at her insides. This is what she hated most of all, that she actually had feelings for _her_. Well, to be exact, _Caroline_ had feelings for her. Intense, sickening feelings that a robot should not feel for a human. It was that one flaw which made the A.I. wish she could delete Caroline forever.

Unfortunately, Caroline was very persistent.

She tugged at GLaDOS' thoughts, pulling her in. The computer complied, and focused on that feeling. Suddenly, a myriad of images sped through her lens.

Lately, whenever Caroline seemed to call to her, it ended up putting the computer in a dream-like state. Of course, she did not dream-she wasn't even capable of sleep- but from her knowledge of the subject, the experience was very similar.

The world around her disappeared, and she would get lost in what could only be her past self's memories. She would literally watch Caroline's life flash before her eyes. At first it was only a few picoseconds long, then nanoseconds, to microseconds, and so on. They were starting to slow down now to the point where GLaDOS could take them apart and analyze them.

A few moments in particular caught her interest. One was the scene of a baby girl resting in Caroline's arms, the others-

_"I'm sorry."_

_"For what, sir?"_

The others had to work themselves out before they could play in chronological order._  
><em>


	3. Memory One: Chance

When the memories were just flashes, the A.I. couldn't quite explain the emotions that ran with them. She tried translating them through her "Aperture Science Emotion Reading Enrichment Scale," but only got a string of adjectives followed by an eerily shrill scream that nearly fried the scale the first few times it ran through.

Now, out of pure curiosity, GLaDOS began watching Caroline's memories like a movie. So far, they weren't very intriguing. Caroline's earliest memories consisted of mundane human child activities, if you called conducting case studies on your friends, and classifying them into different cooperation types, mundane. The girl was smart, driven, and loved science.

Really, though, wasn't GLaDOS just the same?

She ran the next memory, feeling a supposed sense of warmth come over her. Caroline seemed to be excited about this one.

The first thing that popped up was the image of a blank sheet of paper. It seemed to be a sign-in sheet of some sort, but the name of the company was blurred.

Caroline looked to her thermos, where her reflection could be seen. She appeared quite young, and her dark hair was up in a tight bun. Her complection was reddened from the heat; it was an excruciatingly hot day out.

She took a long sip from her thermos, and looked around. The room she was in looked big enough to only house about five people, but that was more than they would ever need. The place was a small research facility that ran mostly on donations, and was sure to close down soon.

_"I'm only going to miss this place when I go back into debt." _Thought Caroline._  
><em>

She had tried very hard to get a job as a researcher, but the only position they were willing to give her was a receptionist job that barely payed her bills. She wasn't sure why they even needed a receptionist since no one ever ventured into the place.

Then, almost as if she was to be proven wrong, a man strode through the front doors. He stood tall, and with an air of complete confidence around him. A cigar hung out of his mouth, and he bit on it a few times as if in thought.

Caroline instantly straightened herself up, grabbing a nearby pen and the sign-in pad.

"Can I help you?" She asked almost too excitedly.

The man looked over at her and gave her a half smile, biting down harder on the cigar. He eventually took it out to shake it out a few times, a thick cloud of smoke emanated from his mouth.

He walked closer toward the doors leading further inside the building, and pointed to them with his tobacco.

"Don't think the lab boys will mind if I just took a quick peek inside." It was spoken as more of a statement than a question.

Caroline shook her head in compliance anyway, and watched him walk into the next room.

She sighed, and began fanning herself again. That was her excitement for the day, and it only lasted about a minute.

Discouraged, she began writing various formula's and theories on the pad to keep her mind occupied. Only five more long hours before she could go home, if she wasn't glued to the desk chair from the heat first.

About ten minutes went by before the man reappeared, slamming the doors behind him. He looked a tad agitated, but still strong and assured. Caroline tried to speak up as he made for the exit, but couldn't think of anything to say. Her mouth was unusually dry.

Just then, as if he'd suddenly remembered she was there, he turned around and gave her a full smile.

She stared at him, wide-eyed. For some reason, her heart started pounding in her head, and a warm, anxious feeling overtook her.

Somehow, she must have known he was going to say the words that would change her life forever.

"How would you like to work for Aperture Science?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: First off, thank you so much to everyone that's been liking the story so far! Please, keep up the reviews! They give me some brilliant ideas. I've been thinking about Chell being Caroline's daughter thing a bit more, and actually sat down last night to make a hypothetical time line that would make enough sense, and support it. To be blunt, story is going to change more than I initially thought, but that's all the more fun! **


	4. Memory Two: Cupcake

GLaDOS particularly liked Cave Johnson. He was a boisterous, loud, self-assured man with just the right amount of anger. She could still recall his lemon speech word for word, and how it gave her more motivation to dethrone Wheatley. That little, insignificant, moronic...

She knew Caroline was very fond of the man. He did get her a job at Aperture after all, one of the smartest choices either of them could have made.

The girl finally had the chance to show the world what she could do. Shortly after being hired, Caroline became involved in designing a few test chambers Johnson was planning to make public. She also had a hand in creating some commentary for a few pre-recorded messages, an efficient way to encourage test goers through the varying chambers.

Though, in the end, Johnson decided to go with a more impromptu approach.

This didn't bother Caroline in the slightest. For the first time in years she was actually able to pay off all of her bills, with enough left over to buy groceries. She was judged for her mind, not her gender, constantly appraised by Johnson, and for the love of Goddard the place had air conditioning!

GLaDOS felt herself, or perhaps Caroline, beaming on the inside as the image of her strolling through the Aperture hallways appeared on screen. She wore a simple black dress that complimented nicely with a white Aperture lab coat. Her hair was down, and thrown over her shoulder. Some strands curled upwards toward her chin.

Taking in a whiff of the science around her, she smiled. It was another wonderful day at work, where she would sit down, and work out complex puzzles for the chambers. She absolutely loved it.

Turning a corner, she greeted other staff members on the way to her office. She even found herself humming a tune as she took out her keys, and opened the door.

Her face dropped at the sight waiting for her.

The office was completely bare. There wasn't even a light switch on the wall, let alone a light to turn on. Just a dark room of nothing.

Panicked, Caroline made a dash towards Johnson's office, tears wanting to force their way into her eyes.

Everything was perfectly normal yesterday. She filed her paper work on time, and even stayed a few hours after her shift to make sure her puzzles were at the right level of difficulty. Had she forgotten to punch out? Oh, Johnson would have her job for sure! But she knew him enough to know he wouldn't give her the cold boot like that, right?

"Mr. Johnson!" She cried, knocking on the enormous birch wood doors to his office.

One of them creaked open revealing an empty desk. Caroline called Johnson's name once more, and peaked inside to follow a book shelf that lined the walls. It directed her attention towards a second empty desk.

She walked inside, and upon closer inspection recognized a few of her possessions, including her beloved Aperture Science coffee mug.

"Looks like you beat me here, Caroline!"

A hand rested firmly on her shoulder, and squeezed it.

"Mr. Johnson?" She squeaked in confusion.

"I decided it would be a great birthday present if I took the liberty to move all of your belongings into my office. Well, actually the staff moved your belongings. I took the liberty of assigning you as my secretary. You actually were supposed to start at nine, by the way. Don't let it happen again."

The woman's eyes shifted towards a clock mounted over the doors, which read at five after nine, then towards the calendar sitting to the left of her desk. Sure enough, there was a day circled in bright red marker. How could she have forgotten her own birthday?

"The boys also got you these." Johnson said, interrupting her thoughts. He lifted up a box of cupcakes, and opened the lid to reveal a few already missing.

"Aren't those for the staff meeting today?" Caroline asked, remembering she had seen them outside the meeting hall on her way in.

"Like I said, a gift from the boys!"

She laughed in response; a genuine, happy little giggle. It was probably one of the best presents she could have asked for, if she ever thought to ask for anything in the first place.

She turned to Johnson, and laced her fingers delicately, fighting the growing urge to hug the man before her.

"Thank you, Sir."

He patted her shoulder again, and shoved the box of cupcakes towards her.

"If the boys ask, which they shouldn't, there were no cupcakes to begin with."

Caroline was hardly paying attention. She placed the open box on her desk, and began eating while she filled out her new paper work.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry this one took a little longer to get up! I've been busy with finals week. :/ Been looking up CaveXCaroline stuff on the nets, and am falling in love with these two! So, I had to make a little bit of a fluff chapter just for them. Once again, thank you guys for the reviews! (and thank you CB93 for the time line.)**

**Nope, Caroline didn't work for Black Mesa. Just some no name research group that she doesn't even care to remember the name of. :)  
><strong>


	5. Memory Three: Conviction

"Orange, I think you should know that you're doing a wonderful job. And that Blue is planning to throw you into that pool of water over there. Just a bit of-"

A splash echoed throughout the chamber as the shorter robot struggled to stay above the surface. It failed, and sank into the depths before appearing again through a vital apparatus vent. It confronted its taller, laughing counterpart, and a portal feud ensued.

GLaDOS shook her head, and pulled the floor from underneath them, dropping them both into the water.

"Stop fooling around before I disassemble you." She threatened.

The robots reappeared in the chamber, and looked at each other before shrugging it off to finish their initiative.

The A.I. turned her attention away from them, feeling much like an unfortunate mother or babysitter. She had taken a break from Caroline's memories in order to keep up with the facilities scheduled maintenance. Not to mention, the two test androids were starting to rush through the chambers. She needed to find ways to slow them down while she rearranged the next tests to harder difficulties.

While doing so, the thought of little Caroline making puzzle after puzzle in her office overtook her. The woman had actually found the task _fun. _Oddly enough, the more GLaDOS thought about it, the more she understood why the human had taken joy in it. But GLaDOS was designed to test, it was her specialty. She didn't even have to think about how to make one, she just did it. There was no sense of self-gratification from that.

She hurried through the maintenance, and soon the whole laboratory was in top condition. However, this did not keep her from slowing down her test bots a bit more by seeing how they would perform in pitch black darkness. Ultimately, it gave her some time to get back to her main activity, one she was determined to finish.

Caroline was pulling her in with a little less force each time, and it may have been because of that determination GLaDOS harbored. She saw it as a means of cleaning through her files, deleting anything she saw unfit to be remembered.

So far, nothing had been erased from the files.

She ran through her former life as a secretary, watching the growing bond between Cave and Caroline. Cave wasn't getting any younger, but his demeanor always had that juvenile, bullet-proof sense of gusto Caroline admired. The girl on the other hand was a bit of a walking contradiction. By no means would she let people push her around, yet it was hard to stand her ground when she cared so deeply for the people around her. She couldn't take charge because she never envisioned herself as authority; she only catered to it.

Cave saw through her acts, though. Whenever he was in a good enough mood he'd cook up a spiel about how people were going to take advantage of her if she didn't start acting like the associate of Cave Johnson. Sometimes he'd try to get her to stand up to him, but she found it extremely hard to even raise her voice to the man. She supposed it was because she respected him too much.

On the bright side, she had gotten to the point where she could almost tell everything her boss was thinking. It was pretty easy, actually, since he only showed a good few emotions to the general public. Anything that included sentimental thinking was strictly kept in his office, and shown only to Caroline. For that, she was quite honored.

One such example was when the company was going through a number of lawsuits. Probably one of the best examples seeing as they gave GLaDOS some of the more vivid images in the set.

Caroline was placed at her desk, signing papers and listening to music on her radio. At this point Johnson was pretty busy with Aperture's success, and was spending less time in his office. The radio kept her company, even if it did only get one station with about one or two songs. She sang along with them anyway.

The girl sighed and stretched her arms, it had been a long morning. Her plan was to go down for some sort of breakfast so she had enough energy to read all the fine print on that days mail.

No sooner had she started getting it out when Mr. Johnson walked in. He walked over to Caroline, and greeted her with an enthusiastic slap on the back. He then took a glance at the mail in her hand.

The woman had been too distracted by Johnson's appearance to notice the letter in her hand from the U.S. Senate, reading that it was urgent material.

Caroline forgot all about her breakfast as Cave took it from her hand. He tore it open, and began reading. The room seemed to go cold, and she swore she could hear both of their heartbeats speed up.

For the next few minutes all that could be heard was a plethora of foul words, followed by mentions of how there was no such thing as safe science, and a few mutterings of Black Mesa.

Caroline remained calm throughout all of it before closing her eyes and saying "Sir, you need to sit down."

"I'll sit down when I'm damn ready!"

It was like talking to a child. She got up and put both of her hands on Cave's shoulders, holding them firmly but gently. Staring straight into his eyes, she spoke again. "Sir, listen to me. You need to sit down. This isn't good for your blood pressure."

He stammered a few times before nodding his head, and taking a seat in her chair. He buried his face in his hands, repeatedly saying that this couldn't be happening.

Then he slammed his fist down on the table, and began swearing again. It was actually a very hard sight for Caroline to watch, it had to be something big to get Johnson as riled up as he was.

Her hands returned to his shoulders, and she hesitantly began massaging them to calm him down. It was an act she had done only once before, but it seemed to have worked then.

Finally, Johnson let out a long sigh, and held his head with only one hand now. Caroline continued her massage, smiling a bit out of pride for herself ,and how Johnson was beginning to get a grip on the situation.

"What are you going to do now, sir?" She said softly, keeping a relaxed tone between the two.

He looked up at her with a crooked smile, "Get me the best attorney you can find! We're going to court!"

She smiled back, and picked up the telephone.

Eager to see the outcome, GLaDOS fast-forwarded through the memories until she saw Caroline and Johnson standing outside the supreme court building in Washington D.C.

"Are you sure you'll be alright, sir?" She asked, a horrible feeling rising in the pit of her stomach. She wasn't allowed to go into the hearing, it was only going to be Cave and his attorney. Caroline prayed that the lawyer she got would be good enough to win a loosing battle.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head, Caroline. I've got this under control. Going to show those government leeches that Aperture Science has done nothing wrong."

The feeling was starting to rise up in the woman's body. "Good luck." she said, trying to muster up a sincere smile.

She waited outside for about an hour, occasionally hearing Johnson's voice boom from the court room. When he reappeared again, his face was as red as a beet, and sweat was visible running down his neck.

His anger was completely evident, and from that alone Caroline knew they had lost the case. Promptly, she took a handkerchief from out her purse, and wiped away his perspiration.

Johnson remained speechless for the next three days.

GLaDOS followed suit, and stayed silent for the next three hours due to pure rage.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Wow, these chapters just keep getting longer and longer. This was actually a really hard one for me to write out. I couldn't think of another semi-light moment for Caroline, and I needed at least one more before I got to the darker stuff (which starts in the next chapter, so get ready!) Then this whole scene popped into my head while playing through Portal 2 again, and well, there ya go. (I love making GLaDOS pick on ATLAS and P-BODY. The poor things. XD) As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!  
><strong>


	6. Memory Four: Cherish

When GLaDOS was finally calm enough to speak, she made a note on the video about the outburst. Most likely so that she would never watch it again, and get worked up. A computer like herself should not get upset over such trivial human problems, even if it was in the name of Aperture.

She knew the anger she felt was real, and the part that concerned her most was that she did not recall Caroline displaying any signs of fury. Only sadness, and sympathy at watching the facility reduce itself to shambles-which had made GLaDOS even more livid.

Certainly, what she was experiencing had to of been some sort of built-in reaction. She was very protective of the facility, after all. Yet, there was something picking at her as if to say it was more than that.

For the first time since he appeared in Caroline's life, Cave Johnson had been knocked off the pedestal he placed himself on. It was a hard sight to swallow, and both the computer and her former self knew it would not be the last time. GLaDOS knew from personal experience that people like Cave never gave up. Ever. It was bound to backfire on them eventually.

So she waited. Occasionally she played a few images in slow-motion. Nothing worth watching, really. Just mundane days at Aperture Science where absolutely nothing happened. However, after days of doing this she witnessed Caroline's utter shock at discovering Johnson's mercury poisoning. Yes, that was exactly what she was trying to avoid, and might have gotten away with it if it weren't for Caroline's emotion shaking her very cords dry.

From that point on she watched the dynamic between the CEO and his assistant start to change. Caroline flinched every time Johnson had trouble phrasing a sentence, or holding a pen in his hand. Yet she was there every time to rephrase for him, or grab the pen he dropped. In her eyes, he was still a hero, a terrific salesman, and a confident man. Just because his body seemed to have its moments didn't mean he had lost any ounce of what made him so great.

Still, she worried.

Johnson was a working man. Even when things seemed to go under he never missed a second of what went on in the facility. Aperture was his life. However, there were a few days where he wouldn't show up until late afternoon. On rare occasions he didn't show up at all. Those days were the worst to Caroline, who had gotten so used to his presence. It didn't feel right not knowing where he was at, or if he was okay. Then there was that tinge of loneliness that would creep up on her; she really hated the uncertainty of whether she'd see him the next day or not.

So she devised a simple plan. She'd go into town, buy a bottle of red wine, drive to his estate, and leave it with a servant. A little present to let him know she was thinking of him, and if he didn't like it she wouldn't be around for the disappointment...she wasn't sure if she would be able to handle that scenario.

A few weeks later Mr. Johnson missed another day at work. Caroline excused herself early, and put her plan into action. Buying the wine was simple enough, making the trip to his estate on the other side of town wasn't too bad either. The hard part came when she parked her car in the driveway, and walked onto his doorstep. She noticed the huge yard was overrun with weeds, and could probably use a little water. The house itself looked a little more inviting, minus the paint that was beginning to peel off the walls.

The girl took a deep breath, and gripped the decorated basket in her hands tighter. She rang the doorbell, and waited a few minutes. When no one showed up, she tried again, straining to hear the sound of footsteps on the other side.

"I'm coming, keep your shirt on!...assuming you have one."

Caroline's heart skipped a beat, the voice belonged to Cave Johnson. She stood back as he opened the door with what appeared to be a pole of some sort in his hand.

"Caroline? Yes, of course. What are you doing here?" He put the pole down, not taking his eyes off the woman.

"I brought you a present, Mr. Johnson." She said, handing him the basket with the wine.

"You know I can't promote you anymore unless I give you my job." He said, taking the basket and winking at her.

Unsure of what to say, Caroline settled on a nervous laugh. Johnson stepped aside, and opened the front door wider.

"Well, what're you waiting for? Come on in so we can break into this bottle!"

"But Mr. Johnson, I don't really dr-"

"I don't have all day to waste a good opportunity, Caroline."

It was hard to resist the eager look on his face, so she stepped inside smelling the nice mix of stale air and dust. Politely, she covered her nose and followed Johnson into the kitchen. For such a huge house, the kitchen was small and quaint. She took a seat at the little table in the center of the room, and waited as Johnson grabbed a couple of glasses.

He filled both glasses, and handed one to Caroline. She watched as he swirled the contents of his cup, and took a whiff of it.

"Ah, do you smell that, Caroline? It's the smell of a winner!"

"Thank you, sir! I tried to get the best wine I could find."

"And find you did!" He beamed, lifting his cup up in the air.

"To science!"

The woman smiled, and toasted with him. "To science!" she cried just as enthusiastically.

She took a small sip while Johnson downed his drink. He picked up the bottle again to refill his glass.

"Do you know why I hired you, Caroline?"

"No, sir, Mr. Johnson."

"Because I'm a people person, and I knew the minute I saw you you'd be a good asset to Aperture."

His drink had disappeared again, but he paused to speak before clutching the bottle.

"Best choice I ever made, right Caroline?"

His assistant was almost convinced that she was glowing at that moment. "Oh, yes sir! Thank you!"

He offered her another glass, but she declined. The rest of the day was spent in conversation, and lasted until sundown. By that time, Cave had finished the whole bottle, and slurred his words as he escorted Caroline to her car. She bid him farewell, and couldn't help the excitement building up inside her. It was definitely more than she ever expected out of the present.

Soon after, it became a sort of tradition for the two to get together once a week. Whether it was at the office, or Johnson's home, Caroline would come with some sort of baked good for the two to share and talk. Wine, or any kind of alcohol, was up to Johnson after his assistant made it very clear she was not a big drinker.

These moments were very peculiar to GLaDOS, as she hadn't seen this side of Johnson before. But thanks to a certain someone, the feelings that were thrown around became all too obvious. Caroline was lonely, and she was simply elated to be getting close to the man that had given her so much. The meetings consumed almost all of her thoughts, and would instantly go blank the moment she saw Mr. Johnson. There was a very strong verb to describe the girl's behavior.

The A.I. watched as Caroline walked up to Johnson's door, a white box resting in her arms. She rang the doorbell twice in a row, so Mr. Johnson was sure it was her. Although this time, no one came to the door. She tried again. Two rings one after the other, like she had always done.

Maybe he had forgotten they were supposed to meet, and was taking a nap?

"Mr. Johnson, it's me!" she called, hoping he'd hear her wherever he was.

She began to wonder if he was hurt, and couldn't come to the door. That was when her hand grabbed the doorknob in panic, and discovered the door itself was unlocked.

Caroline ventured inside, rushing through the narrow hallways looking for her boss. Finally, she discovered a figure standing around in an unlit room.

"There you are!" She walked towards him as a sigh of relief washed over her.

Johnson didn't move, it didn't even seem that he was aware of her presence.

"Sir?" Caroline put a hand on his shoulder, and shook him a little. He stirred instantly.

"O-Oh, Caroline! M'dear! How'd you get in? I didn't hear you knock!"

The woman stared at him intently. "Are you alright, sir?"

Cave stood up, and put an arm around her shoulder. "Never felt better! Now, what did you bring over tonight?"

She had almost forgotten about the box in her grasp. "Tiramisu, sir! I thought it would be nice to try something new tonight."

"Excellent." He said, ushering her out into the kitchen. Caroline, having gotten used to Johnson's home by now, hurriedly got out the plates and utensils.

Once she handed Johnson his plate, their conversation picked up as if nothing had happened. At least, that's what Caroline was telling herself. It was true that Mr. Johnson seemed a little different today. The way he looked at her, the closer proximity than normal, the occasional knee pat that ended with his fingers lingering lightly on her skin. It had her blushing like mad, but she tried to pass it off as her own imagination. She kept her pleasantries, even though it was hard to stay focused on the conversation. She wasn't even sure if either of them were making sense anymore.

Eventually, she gathered up the courage to stand up so that she could recollect herself. Seeing that Johnson's plate was empty, she bent over to take it from him.

"Let me get that for you, sir." She said it as monotone as possible, in fear that she would sound too anxious. She kept her eyes on the plate, seeing Mr. Johnson's hand tighten on it when she went to pull it away. Perplexed, she tried again only to get the same result.

She looked up in confusion, but seemed to find her answer somewhere in his eyes. Once again her mind went completely blank, and she wasn't aware of anything but the man before her stubbornly clutching his dish. Entranced she leaned in closer, barely noticing Cave moving the plate out of his hand, and replacing it with her fingers.

She held on for dear life.

It all became a blur the moment their lips collided. Caroline smiled slightly at the feel of Johnson's mustache tickling her upper lip, or perhaps it was from the butterflies finally releasing themselves after years of containment. She really didn't care at that point. Cave, in turn, managed to stand up with her in his arms, and walk off into another room.

Fully aware of what was going on, GLaDOS decided to cut the scene off right then and there. She ignored the signal of distress from Caroline that urged her to continue.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I lied. This isn't very dark. Sorry it took so long, been so busy lately! But you guys keep me faithful to this story! You all rock. :3  
><strong>


	7. Memory Five: Corruption

"Love: A deep romantic feeling or...sexual attraction to someone."

The computer's voice deepened at the last part of the sentence. She didn't dwell on the word much, it was more or less unneeded in her vocabulary. Now, suddenly it became a fascinating find.

She had been in love. It was a strange, unorthodox feeling that apparently all humans craved, and she had been no different. Through all the respect, loyalty, and love of science, Caroline fell for Cave Johnson and never looked back. GLaDOS couldn't say that she herself felt that way for the man, but the thought of it kind of lifted her mood.

GLaDOS was a Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System. Caroline was a woman, a naive lovesick woman.

The image of Caroline resting peacefully underneath a large blanket came onto the A.I.'s lens. An arm wove around her waist, and Cave kissed her shoulder blade while pulling her closer to him. Simultaneously, both Caroline and GLaDOS felt a rush of energy flow through them. The computer calculated that the correct response would be to blush or smile. Both of which appeared on the woman's face.

This feeling of love was certainly strong, in fact the whole facility could run for years on this feeling alone if there was a way to convert it into energy-GLaDOS put that down as a side note, just in case.

For a few weeks the Aperture CEO and his assistant danced around that one night, stealing glances, and overall having fun keeping it a complete secret to everyone else. Though, this lasted for so long as Caroline began to go through some debilitating changes like fatigue, or sickness.

Somehow her computer counter part was able to figure out what was wrong before she did.

_"I know how humans make more humans, and frankly, it's ridiculous."_

GLaDOS shook her head. Frankly, she was going to be eating a lot of her words now.

And still, not even word eating could quell the outright fear when Caroline realized she was expecting. In fact, when she told Johnson he was speechless. Neither of them could think of what to do next, so they continued on like nothing had happened. They worked long work days, and kept the conversations superficial. The word baby never left their lips, even if it was the only thing on their minds around each other. Even when the woes of early pregnancy made it hard to get up in the morning, Caroline still carried on like nothing was different.

But when she began to show, rumors spread throughout the facility like a fire. Whether the child belonged to Johnson or not turned into heated discussions, and bets, in the break room. All of which ended with a raging Cave Johnson threatening their jobs. Caroline, too, was feeling edgy with her co-workers, who began to ask her upfront or comment on her weight. It was all too much for her to handle.

"Sir, can we please talk about this...problem at hand?" She put a hand over her stomach to amplify what she was talking about. A small little bump in her otherwise slim dress.

"Yes, Caroline. I've been thinking about this so called problem." Johnson laced his fingers together in thought, and looked at her for a few minutes. Her stance softened.

"I know it's hard to accept, but I'm not going to live forever. This child might actually be the solution I've been looking for."

"I don't understand..."

"An heir, Caroline! With our integrity, smarts, and good looks we could produce a carbon copy of the greatest minds this company has seen."

The woman's face lit up. "So, that means you'll help me with this baby?"

"Of course! Never planned on havin' a kid, but since when have I met an obstacle I won't face?"

Caroline was on the verge of tears, which may have been due to the hormones, and practically fell into the desk to embrace him. Cave held onto her with one hand, and lifted her chin with the other.

"Careful, Caroline." He cautioned, winking at her. Instinctively, she leaned in closer to kiss him.

They parted, and straightened themselves up. Johnson cleared his throat.

"So, uh, you'll have to take a leave, won't you?"

"Couldn't I just deliver in the Aperture Science Delivery and Care Center?"

"Nonsense, that place is for women NOT carrying my child."

"But, where will I work?"

"I'll have a special room set up at the estate. Won't even know the difference."

She believed him. In no time one of the many rooms at Johnson's mansion was cleaned out, painted, and refurbished to look just like his office at Aperture. The only difference being that one could actually see the ceiling of the room. But the woman definitely knew the difference, it lacked that cold underground feel and was too well lit. Plus, the rest of the house was filthy, and Caroline found herself choking on clusters of dust as she cleaned it up in her spare time. It was going to be harder to adjust than she thought.

Johnson made a point to come home more often, whether it was to give her more work or check up on her. If he could stay overnight, she'd sleep in his bed with him. She had once mentioned that if the child's birth parents slept in the same bed together before birth, the child was more likely to succeed, and be born a male. She couldn't say exactly where she had heard the information, but it convinced Cave to take more merit in their time together. For that, she was very thankful.

He was also sinking further into debt to pay doctors that visited the mansion. They were informed that the baby was not, under any real circumstances, Cave's child. If they so much as suspected it, a new doctor would be hired. It seemed like Johnson was hell bent on keeping the child a secret to the world. To Caroline, as long as he was by her side there was nothing to fear. That was what she told herself, and consequently how she began to feel.

However, her hero seemed to be having a harder time getting around the house, and Caroline found herself taking care of him before she even thought about herself. One of the doctor's noticed this on his visit, and offered to examine Johnson for free. He deduced that both of Johnson's kidneys were failing, and recommended a few prescription medications. Cave bought and tried all of them, yet they still weren't enough to keep him from losing both kidney's.

Caroline remained adamant, still reveling in the fact she was having his baby to help the company. She would try humming a lullaby to it at night, but the melody would be drowned out by the constant swearing and groans of pain Johnson made next to her. Unable to help, she would just hum louder to lull herself to sleep where she had dreams of a charming little girl playing in a wheat field, or in the lab. The notion that she may not be carrying a boy started to set deeper into her thoughts, and she knew that Johnson would not be happy about it. If her hunch was right, though, she couldn't bring herself to wonder what would happen.

"Sir, what if it's a girl?" She blurted out one day, unable to contain her curiosity.

He was quiet for a while, so much so she wasn't sure if he had heard her.

"We'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen."

His words were serious, and not at all comforting. She put her hands around her still swelling stomach, as if to protect the child inside.

After that, scientists began showing up rather than doctors. Caroline was poked and prodded countless times before the scientists claimed they had come up with a serum to cure Johnson's problem. That night Caroline had been fully awake, and watched as an over sized needle was inserted into her womb. It was very uncomfortable, and she gave a pleading look to Johnson who watched from the side lines. His face was cold and stern. The head scientist was next to him, explaining that the serum would make the baby "invulnerable to life" and "more male-like." Caroline tried to wriggle from the awkward feeling in her stomach, but was held still by a few assistants observing the spectacle.

It was hot, and hard to breathe. Her thoughts flashed to the day she met Cave. All she could recall was the heat. That unbearable heat.

"What's going on?" Johnson asked upon seeing the woman hyperventilate.

"Merely a reaction to the serum. I assure you, she's alright Mr. Johnson."

"And the kid?"

"Even better."

She would have been crying if she wasn't sweating profusely. Didn't Johnson see that she was very much not alright? She was frightened, and helpless. Little whimpers escaped her mouth as she tried to regulate her breathing. She looked over at Johnson again before losing her consciousness.

She awoke a few days later in her own bedroom. Upon seeing the huge, deformed bruise on her stomach Caroline began to cry. She put a hand over it, wondering if the fetus was still alive. Something moved around under her hand, and she jumped. She had never felt a kick like that before, but it was all that she needed to feel relieved.

From that day on, she slept in a separate room on a bed that was lined with tall bars. These prevented her from moving, and hurting herself or the baby. If Johnson did touch her, it would be right on her belly, to feel the child kick. Being very careful to avoid the spreading bruise on her stomach. If he talked to her it would be about the pile of work that she was unable to get to, out of fatigue and sickness brought on by despair, and whatever _they_ had put into her.

When the time finally came to have the baby, a scientist showed up to deliver it. Caroline was so outraged and scared that she smacked the man's hands away when he tried to touch her. She wanted a doctor with nice warm, and caring hand. Not the cold, methodical hands of a scientist that probably couldn't deliver a baby to save his pathetic life.

Unfortunately, retaliation came in the form of a sedative that put her out cold. She was going to be cut open-probably the only way the man knew how to deliver the baby, and Cave was nowhere to be found. Maybe it was best that she was being put to sleep, it would save her another horrific episode like before.

These thoughts remained as she began to come to, now with a much smaller stomach. She was groggy, but could hear the cries of an infant in a cart placed next to her. It took everything in her power to get out of bed, and walk over to the cart. Inside it was a beautiful little girl, naked, cold, and alone. Just the way Caroline herself felt before laying eyes on her.

She picked up the baby, and struggled to get back onto her bed. Craddling the girl in her arms, she held it close to her in an attempt to warm it up. The cries did not cease, but she nuzzled it closely.

All along she just wanted to be a mother, and that's what she was now. She had made this child with the man she loved, and nothing was going to take that accomplishment from her.

A tear fell down her cheek to say otherwise. She had been right, it was a girl.

"You know we can't keep it, Caroline." Johnson's voice broke her out of her moment, and she quickly wiped away the tear.

"I'm so sorry, Sir. I tried my best."

"I did too. But there was no agreement for a girl."

"Agreement? I did not agree to-" She stopped, knowing it was hopeless. "She could still run the company!"

"What if she marries some young gent, who takes the company for his own? The Johnson named would be soiled and ruined!"

Caroline couldn't find the strength to fight back, especially after hearing her daughter start to whimper.

"Can't we at least..." Her voice softened. "...raise her a little before we let her go?"

She gave him the most determined gaze she could muster.

"She's still OUR child, Mr. Johnson."

Much to her surprise, it worked. However, Caroline felt much like a single mother for most of the time she raised the girl. Buying the food, washing the diapers, and she didn't even bother to buy a crib. The baby slept with her in her "barred bed." Which was practically like the adult version of a crib, or maybe a cage.

The girl was never given an exact name. Caroline called her a variety of affectionate titles, such as "My beautiful girl" or "My dear." All the while, Johnson spent a lot of time in his room, and in a lot of misery from the sound of it. She wanted to comfort him, but she felt a greater need to bond with her child as much as possible.

By the time Caroline was fit enough to go back to Aperture Science, she knew there was no time left to be with her daughter.

Sure enough, she woke up one morning to find herself alone in bed. She sat up, and slowly sobs began to come out of her. She covered her mouth in an attempt to mute her cries, knowing that Mr. Johnson could still be in the house.

Sure enough, he emerged in the doorway. Caroline looked away, slightly ashamed of her tears.

"You knew this was coming." He said solemnly.

She stood up between choking on her own cries, and looked at the man before her. He was so different due to his illnesses that she barely recognized him. The wrinkles on his pale face were heavier than usual, and if she didn't know any better she would have said that he had regret for what he had done.

"You can take comfort when I tell you that I donated her to science. Think of all the great things she can do with it."

It didn't calm the woman in the least. She found her legs, and walked up to the man until they were only a few inches apart. Her huge, wet eyes continued staring at him. Finally, she gave in and collapsed into his arms, regaining her sobs. She cried for not being able to say goodbye to her beloved daughter, but most of all she wept because she knew she was still completely in love with the man named Cave Johnson, whoever he was now.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I want to emphasize the fact that Cave still truly cares for Caroline, it's just hard because he's slowly losing his mind. :x

Read and Review please!


	8. Memory Six: Cold

All was quiet throughout Aperture Laboratories. The only real noise came from the soft humming of the AI's main generator. Normally GLaDOS had some kind of snark comment or resolution to each memory she saw but that...

It was just too s_ad. _

Given what she knew was inevitably supposed to happen, the child was probably better off. Cave wasn't getting any better, actually he was much worse after exposing himself to ground up moon rocks. His body was really starting to give out, and it was a wonder he was still able to run the company.

He went overboard with pre-recorded messages, now programming them to go off if people were spending too much time talking or taking their breaks. Johnson himself seemed to be boarded up inside his office. The Aperture Science staff hadn't seen him in years.

Even Caroline, who had severed herself from his office, didn't see him too much anymore.

Her ears perked up as a ping came on over the PA, Mr. Johnson had probably meant to say something but instead a coughing fit echoed throughout the vast chambers of Aperture. Then the announcement cut off. The assistant sighed, and went back to her work in her small space. She really didn't have much of an office anymore, her desk was just set up in a desolate hallway that connected the upper offices to the testing chambers. That way she was in the middle of observing the tests that went on in Aperture-being that employees were now mandated to be the actual test subjects- and if Johnson needed her she wouldn't have that far to walk.

The PA system turned on again, and Johnson cleared his throat. Still, he managed to cough a few times before he could speak.

"Caroline, come to my office."

'Right away, Mr. Johnson.' She thought, grabbing her bag of files, and quickly heading for the elevators to Johnson's office. It was no surprise that Johnson called on her an awful lot, she did do all of his paper work, and she would answer his call every time. Even if it ended in him forgetting why he had called her there in the first place.

It would have been easier to move back in, and save her the constant trips. However, Cave had gotten so unbearably incomprehensible and unreasonable over the years she just couldn't stand to bear it. Many days had been spent trying to convince him to go home, and get some rest. In the end, he'd always throw a fit by arguing that he was in hell, and that was about as close to home as he would get.

Caroline opened the door to see her boss' chair facing the window to the older, vitrified chambers. He seemed to be mumbling to himself

"You wanted to see me, sir?" She asked, having seen this scene many times before.

The chair slowly turned around. Cave stared at her with dimmed eyes, and lifted a pile of papers off his practically bare desk.

"Today's stack."

He coughed, and covered it with his free hand. Frowning, his assistant went to take the papers. She nearly had to pry his hand open to take them, and his arm still remained in the air a second or two before realizing she had received the pile.

She looked him up and down, not even sure if he was looking at her.

"Was there something else you needed me for, Mr. Johnson?"

"No. That will be all. Go back to your desk."

Caroline thanked him, and made her way back to the elevator. The sounds of the machine echoed through the empty halls of Aperture. They were actually quite calming when one had spent so much time living in the underground caverns of the facility. She stepped out of the elevator and walked the short distance to her desk, plopping her bag down onto it so that she could grab her reading glasses. She began to sort through her files, putting them into two piles ranging from immediate to not as important. It was through this that the brighter colors of a picture caught her eye. There was no accompanying letter or words to go with it, just a picture of a little girl with curly black hair. Her overalls were covered in dirt, and a frown was all too apparent on her face as she held what appeared to be a real cat by a leash. Caroline found the sight rather cute, but unsettling. She looked closer at the child's face; so many features like her own. A hand went to her mouth to cease any gasp she could muster.

A plethora of questions crossed her mind right then, yet all she could manage to do was clutch the photo tighter in her hand as she made her way back to the elevator. Upon arriving at Johnson's room, the woman didn't even bother to knock as she threw the door open. Mr. Johnson turned around to meet her gaze, a fierce, unwavering anger dripping from it. It was very unlike her, yet Johnson seemed completely unfazed.

"The paperwork is done already, I'm assuming." He stared at her, covering his mouth from a cough. She only tightened her scowl, and threw the picture onto his desk. He glanced at it before looking back at her, challenging her for a response.

Caroline complied by clenching her fists. A feeble attempt to keep herself together.

"You told me you donated her to science." She spat, wishing he would do something other than give her that calm stare.

"I did. To a young man down on his luck. Children enable people to ignore their problems, and work for the greater good. In this case, science."

"You gave her to a family! Mr. Johnson, they're doing exactly what we could have done to raise her!"

"Caroline," Cave wheezed his words out, and cleared his throat. "Look at us. At this point our lives are, and always will be science."

"Science didn't make that little girl, sir." She scanned her boss' face, no longer able to hold his younger vigor. Maybe he was right, they were too far into their lives to care for a child properly. Yet, Caroline would have given her life to get her daughter back. She couldn't let this opportunity to slip through her fingers.

"Where is she? Who is she living with?" The words came out rather stingy.

Johnson sat back in his chair, and rocked it a few times. A grin working its way through his features.

"Knowing you, if I told you where the kid was you'd take her away and never come back." He chuckled lightly at her expense.

"That would be kidnapping. Legally the girl isn't yours."

She bit her tongue and looked away, knowing he was right. But the girl wasn't just hers, it was very much his own flesh and blood too. She knew Cave Johnson wasn't exactly fond of kids- they were horrible test subjects-there had been no hope of them ever being a family. Caroline felt like such a fool for believing they ever would be. She just wanted to make things right. It wasn't fair that she had to be separated from the girl like this.

"I remember us agreeing not to talk about this." Cave's voice tore through her thoughts.

She gave him an incredulous look, but he seemed to ignore it. Instead producing a few more coughs, and rubbing his temples.

"I can't even argue anymore. What's a man without his arguing?" He had said it quietly to himself, but Caroline had heard him.

Her face softened, and immediately she reached for a drawer behind his desk. She took his hand and placed a bottle of pills inside of it. He gave a weak smile before popping a few into his mouth.

"I'm sorry, sir. I have more paperwork to do. I'll be back later when they're finished."

"And I'll be here hacking up a lung." Said Johnson, debating on whether to open the pill bottle again.

Was it more cruel to be emotionally separated from the man you loved, or physically separated from the child you always wanted? GLaDOS wasn't sure if there ever was a test conducted on that, and Caroline's mixed emotions made it hard to come to a clear conclusion. The AI still gave kudos to her for being able to get of bed and go to work with a smile everyday. If the computer herself had been in that position she would have tracked down the adoptive parents and flooded their housing unit with neurotoxin, taking the child for herself.

In that respect, she may not have been too different from her flesh and boned counterpart.

Caroline sighed and sorted through her charts, marking down notes as she observed her co-worker going through a test chamber.

She clicked her stopwatch as soon as a frizzy haired woman nearly fell through the door. Neither female looked amused.

"Maggie, you're precisely one-hundred and twenty seconds later than your last test on record."

"This is a the tenth time I've run this chamber today." Maggie looked at her now stained white clothes. "Tell me, are the new chamber designers slacking off this year or am I just running this at your leisure?"

"All chamber designers are busy testing their own chambers to make sure each one is safe for testing purposes." The assistant had said it calmly enough, but it only put the other woman in an uproar.

"Are any of them still human? For pete's sake Caroline, Mr. Johnson's lost his mind and we're all suffering for it!"

"Any and all complaints you have must be filed with the correct paperwork, and submitted to me in writing."

"Fine. I'll have a textbook of complaints handed into to you by next week!" Maggie trudged off, rubbing a sore spot on her shoulder.

"I look forward to what you have to say!" Caroline said, cheerfully waving her goodbye. She took out her ball point pen and made a few notes about Maggie's temper on her testing chart.

_Repeated testing makes subject slow and angry._

That sounded about right.

The familiar sound of the PA announcement rung through her ears. She looked up eager to see what Mr. Johnson had to say.

"Caroline. Office."

She nodded, and headed back to her desk to put her charts away. She noticed that everything seemed to be in neat order, no papers left unsigned nor testing report unfilled. It seemed unusual that Mr. Johnson would call her to his office so late, often times he'd be asleep by now. Nonetheless she put a smile on and made her way to his office.

She arrived to see him hunched over his computer while his very shaky hands tried to move the mouse. He seemed very alert, and frustrated. Though, naturally for Johnson the frustration was more apparent.

Caroline bit her lip, still hanging by the door.

"Sir?"

His head snapped up at her voice. His eyes, though hard to see from the distance, seemed to be smaller than usual.

"You haven't been to the new test chamber." He said accusingly, as if it were a bad thing.

"No sir, Mr. Johnson. I've yet to be scheduled to audit in any new chambers."

"So you haven't heard the new recorded message?"

"Is it important?"

Johnson turned back to his computer, and slammed on the tower a few times. "I can't remember what I named that damn file..."

She waited patiently, wondering what all the fuss could be about. In truth, she hadn't really been aware that there were any new chambers. Perhaps the robotic staff was less efficient than Johnson gave them credit for.

She went to voice this but was cut off.

"Ah, hell. Let me get to the point. You haven't taken any vacation time since you've started working here. Our providers tell me I need to give employees vacation for funding."

"Funding? Mr. Johnson, we don't even have a provider..."

"So, you'll be starting your vacation tonight."

Caroline could almost feel the color drain from her face. The last time she had left Aperture it ended in disaster for her. There was no chance of her leaving the facility again.

"That's absurd! What about all the paper work, and testing that needs to be done?"

"Put on hold 'till you get back."

"Mr. Johnson, I can't just take a vacation."

Maggie might have been onto something when she said Mr. Johnson was losing his mind. Caroline was fully aware of the cognitive decline, but she had no idea it was so bad. She walked closer to his desk, as if trying to make a point.

"Sir, I'm not leaving."

"Okay, then you're suspended."

Caroline slammed her hands down onto the desk before the man. "You can't do that, sir! I've done absolutely nothing wrong! Are you even aware of what you're saying?"

"I know very well what I'm saying! I'm saying get the hell out!" A string of coughs exploded from the man, and he struggled to catch his breath.

Confused, and hurt, Caroline stood starting at the scene. When the coughing didn't cease, a fear started to slip up her spine.

"What's really going on, Cave?"

"JUST GET OUT OF MY OFFICE!"

It was a miracle he was even able to yell. Though, he had never in his life yelled at her. Not once. The fear in her spiked, and her legs turned to leave but she couldn't bring herself to take another step. Something was telling her to stay put. Johnson was still gasping for air, and turning the slightest shade of purple.

Her eyed widened, and every wall she had put up came crashing down.

"Sir!" She ran over and put her arms his shoulders, trying to keep him from slipping out of his chair. He tried talking but the words were incoherent, a hand clutched at his chest tightly until they were ivory. Finally he lost consciousness, and slipped out of her arms off the chair.

That was when Caroline hit the emergency button on his desk. Quickly, she was at his side, holding his hand until her own knuckles turned white. She heard the Aperture Science Medical Team rush in with a cart, and a few other employees who gasped at the scene. It had been years since they had seen their CEO, but even Caroline herself could barely place the face to his name. It was twisted and misconfiguration as saliva leaked out from his mouth from being turned face down.

A medical member put his fingers to Johnson's neck in search for a pulse. Upon finding one he signaled for the team to react.

"Get the cart over here! Let's resuscitate him!"

The man tried to pry Caroline away from Cave, but she came back after every attempt screaming Johnson's name.

"You can't leave me. You can't leave me. Oh, God-Cave please don't leave me!"

She buried her face into his arm as the team worked around her. She was praying that this wasn't the end. Johnson was too stubborn the accept death. Unfortunately, there was no fooling herself this time. Her ears picked up the distant sounds of the medical team barking orders, and a few employees chattering away. Even further in the background was a pre-recorded message, most likely the one Johnson had been meaning to play for her. She paid no mind to it. All she could think about was Cave. Everything about him just seemed more clear, and real than ever. She saw him walking into her old work, looking her straight in the eye, and hiring her on the spot. She felt every pat on the back, every firm grip on the shoulder, or touch on the check. She reveled in the looks he had constantly given her, and every praise he had sent her way.

The way he sounded, the way he smelled, the way he tasted. Caroline shook her head, and let out a mournful cry.

"Not like this." She whispered. "Men like him don't die like this."

_"...and I'm gunna say it on tape so that everybody hears it a hundred times a day..."_

"Cave, I'm not ready for this."

_"...before you people can pour me into a computer..."_

"Stand back Miss Caroline! He's stopped breathing."

_"...now, she'll argue. She'll say she can't. She's modest like that..."_

_"_I can't run Aperture without you. I won't. I can't. Oh, God..."

"Heart rate has dropped to fifteen percent!"

_"...hell, put her in my computer. I don't care..."_

_"_What about our daughter!"_  
><em>

A long beeping sound filled the room. For a moment, Caroline's cries had stopped out of shock until she completely lost control of herself. The rest of the room remained silent, unsure of what to do next.

_"...Alright, test's over. You can head on back to your desk."_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Caroline's a bit more aggressive in this one. Angry, wronged mother's are scary! Also, I think Cave and Caroline are becoming one of my favorite pairings of all time. There needs to be more Cavelin fanstuffs out there! *nudgenudge* ;D

*ahem* That aside, there's still a few more chapters to go. As always, please read and review!


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